Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

What she is writing now is the ending of the adventure of Ri, the mimic. She herself is not sure if Ri's story can be called an adventure, because the story is too surreal. The Demon King and the Hero do not seem to have the feeling of protagonist and final boss in her story. Instead, Ri, the mimic, has become the protagonist.

So, Kuroba is now racking her brains about how to end this story. Although she feels that ending it now is not appropriate, because if that's the case, there will definitely be more fantastic encounters and adventures in the future, she still feels that this story should end here, because everything is already heading towards the end, and continuing to write would be superfluous.

Kuroba picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of the pale red liquid inside. Although it wasn't black tea, but rather oolong tea, it tasted quite good. She put down the cup, leaned back in her chair, and curled up.

"What should we do..." Kuroba spun around in her chair. "Speaking of which... it seems like they're planning some kind of harvest festival... I wonder what they're up to this time..."

Chapter 1 After Peace Arrived

"Little Black Feather!!"

"Whoa?!?!"

While Kuroba's consciousness was still wandering, a small child suddenly pounced on her from behind. If she hadn't used magic to stabilize them both in time, they would have crashed into the table. Getting injured wasn't a big deal; a healing spell would fix it. But if the books on the table got dirty, that would be a different story. They might have to rewrite them.

The key point is that this is still Kuroba's handwritten manuscript, and if possible, she hopes not to rewrite it again, because it really took her a lot of time. She tried her best to suppress her anger and spoke calmly to the child who pounced on her.

"Auda, is there something you need?" Kuroba emphasized another point, "And haven't I told you many times? Call me Teacher Kuroba, not Little Kuroba."

"Huh? Why should I?" Aoda leaned closer. "He looks only a little older than us, so why should he call you teacher? I've read in a book that teachers are all old people."

"Ha... While this is the typical image of such people, it doesn't mean all teachers are like that," Kuroba patiently explained. "A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge to students, and more broadly, someone capable who is worthy of learning from in a certain area and can provide correct knowledge and guidance. Do you understand now?"

"Too long! Too tedious! I can't understand it!"

Aoda threw a tantrum like a child.

"Ha, never mind." Kuroba wasn't going to argue with him. "So, what brings you up here like this?"

“Yes,” Oda said. “Sister Li came to see you.”

"Ah...that makes sense."

Kuroba untied Oda's hand, then pulled him back downstairs, handing him over to other teachers before walking outside the classroom. At the school gate, a familiar figure could be seen. This busy man, though usually preoccupied, still found time to wander around—a trait seemingly common among the world's leaders.

After noticing Kuroba leaving the school, Rin waved and said, "Kuroba, long time no see."

“It’s not like we’ve been apart for a long time,” Kuroba said casually as he walked to her side. “Besides, you come here every week, whether I’m here or not.”

"What were you doing just now?" Li handed her a drink. "Did I bother you?"

"I was writing something just now." Kuroba opened his drink, took a sip of the dark red liquid inside, and then frowned. "What is this...? It tastes a bit sour and pungent..."

"Sorry, you don't seem to like this. This is cola." Li apologized first.

"Hmm...it's just that it tastes a bit novel, not that I can't accept it." Kuroba took another small sip. "Speaking of which, I think I've seen this in one of your books...by the way, what brings you here today?"

“Look at the school,” Li said with a smile. “Although it’s a bit different from what I imagined, it looks pretty good.”

"You're not in a rush to drag this medieval world into the modern era, are you?" Kuroba advised. "You'd better not do that."

"I know, I know." Li nodded. "These things can't be forced. I just wanted to try my best to recreate the situation at the school."

“A modern school…” Kuroba narrowed his eyes. “That does pique my curiosity, but it’s not suitable for the present.”

During her stay at Li's house, Hei Yu had already read through all the books there, no matter what kind they were. After a period of digestion, she could now be considered half a modern person. She was now an important member of Li and Ning's modernization plan, and she believed that soon, more and more people would be gathered around this blueprint.

"Hmm..." Li stared at the school now.

The newly built pilot school in Akihabara consists of only one two-story building. The larger first floor serves as classrooms, just enough to accommodate about a hundred students from Akihabara. The smaller second floor houses the teachers' offices and rest areas, while the attic is Kuroba's personal office. Meals are delivered from town by designated personnel, so there is no cafeteria.

But no matter how I looked at it, something still didn't seem right...

“Hmm,” Li Dao said, “Although the school is like this, I feel like something is still missing…”

"Are you talking about the playground?" Kuroba immediately got to the point.

"Yes, it's the playground." Li finally remembered what was missing. "The children don't seem to be doing much activity as usual."

"Really?" Kuroba glanced at it. "I think it's a good thing. Do you know why education on Earth is always criticized? It's because it's too restrictive. You're pretty much like that now, aren't you?"

"Huh? Really?" Li's eyes widened in surprise.

“You don’t seem to have any self-awareness yet…” Kuroba sighed. “I usually just watch these kids play by themselves. They don’t run off to other places, and they listen when I tell them to. They’re much easier to deal with than the Demon King. There’s nothing to worry about, right? They’re all growing up healthily.”

"Did you just take a jab at Xuanze...?"

Is there a problem?

"no problem……"

Demon lords are indeed more difficult to deal with than unruly children. The most terrifying thing in the world is when an unruly child not only acts unruly but also possesses power beyond that. Demon lord Xuanze is a prime example of this. However, according to Serena, he wasn't like this before becoming a demon lord, which is honestly a bit hard to imagine…

"Oh, right..." Kuroba suddenly remembered something strange, "Do you and Ning have any plans to have children?"

"Eh?"

Li was clearly stunned.

It might be a bit strange for Kuroba to ask this question. She only thought of this after seeing these children. Rin and Ning are now a recognized couple. Although they haven't held a wedding ceremony, they are officially a couple. They seem to be very affectionate with each other. Anyone would think they are a match made in heaven.

In this world, things cannot be viewed through the lens of Earth. In this world, lesbian relationships are permitted, but this raises a question: how will the two of them have children?

After Kuroba asked the question, he patiently waited for Ri's reply. Ri was stunned for a long time before her head started to feel hot, and her face turned bright red.

"What are you saying?" Li stammered, "Of course I have that idea!"

“Eh…is that so…” Kuroba stared at the dark red liquid in the bottle for a moment in silence, then said, “But you two are both girls, right? Logically speaking, you shouldn’t be able to have children.”

"Waaah..." Li clutched her head in exasperation. "Of course I know that."

"...Looks like you're having a headache about this too..." Kuroba added another blow.

"To be honest..." Li said helplessly, "I, at least, haven't thought about having children yet..."

"You didn't just agree to it on a whim, did you?" Kuroba's words carried a hint of reproach.

"Even I'm very serious about relationships, okay!" Li complained. "Why do you guys always treat me like some kind of silly character?"

"...? That seems to be your role, right?" Kuroba said calmly. "If that's the case, you should think about these things more."

"Ha... I feel like I'm even busier now that everything's over..." Rin sighed. "Once I have some free time, there's a ton of trivial things to take care of... I really don't know what to say... having kids..."

Li and Ning's feelings are real, and they truly love each other. However, Li is still a novice in this area and doesn't know what the best approach is. She simply lets things take their course and interacts with Ning as usual. They've already done "that" once, but nothing particularly special seems to have happened since then.

Rin originally thought that since they had already done that kind of thing, getting pregnant should be possible too... However, after Kuroba said that, she felt it was a bit unreliable. This was no longer just a matter of yuri, but also involved interracial issues, and the difference was quite large. Rin began to worry about whether it was really possible to do that kind of thing.

Kuroba glanced at Ri, who looked worried, wondering if she had asked something she shouldn't have. She said, "Well... actually, I don't think we need to rush. After all, the current environment isn't exactly ideal, and the ghost problem hasn't been solved yet. Most importantly, I don't want to take care of a child who's even more overpowered than the Demon King for you..."

"Why do you talk like my child with Ning is some kind of overpowered genius?" Li rolled his eyes at her.

“No, I think it’s very real.” Kuroba wasn’t joking.

Li's current position is like the moon surrounded by stars; she is someone who is the focus of attention from all sides. If she and Ning really have a child in the future, she will definitely receive a lot of love and care. This is without a doubt. Not to mention ordinary people, the Dragon Kings will definitely give that child protection. When this child has the protection of five Dragon Kings, he is destined not to be an ordinary child.

If the school's trial runs smoothly, it will definitely become a formal institution, and eventually their child will also attend. At that time, Kuroba isn't confident she can manage the child. Secondly, even if she tries to force the issue, Kuroba probably won't be able to handle the child.

"But we have to wait until we have it..." Li was worried about this.

"You wouldn't..." Kuroba suddenly realized something, "...not yet, would you?"

"Wait a minute, why are you suddenly throwing fastballs?" Ri panicked at her question, blushing as she replied, "Of... of course I've already done it."

"You've done it..." Kuroba asked again, "How many times?"

"Only once!" Riri began to feel like an idiot for honestly answering her.

"Oh, I see..." Kuroba breathed a sigh of relief. "Why are you panicking? It's only once. It's not like you'll get this every time you do it."

"Why are you so skilled at this?" Li asked.

"Uh, don't ask too much about that." Kuroba coughed twice to change the subject. "What you need to do now is figure out if you can really get pregnant with a slime's child. This is interracial love, and the difference is the biggest I've ever seen in my life. Whether you can do it is still a question. You should ask Ning about this. And then... well, just do a little more... but in moderation, understand?"

After saying all this, even Hei Yu blushed. As a book spirit, she didn't know much about the mating process. Her understanding of these things came from the books she had read. She wasn't sure she could explain it to anyone.

"Kuroba..." Risa was slightly touched. "I didn't expect you to care about this so much..."

"Well," Kuroba turned his head away shyly, "because you guys are, after all, my friends. It's only natural to care about friends, right?"

"Well... I'll give it my best." Li secretly made up her mind, "I'll work hard with Ning."

"Uh..." Kuroba didn't want to continue this topic any further. "Speaking of which, what's the Harvest Festival all about?"

“Oh, the harvest celebration.” Li smiled and explained, “We wanted to hold this celebration to celebrate this bumper harvest, and secondly, to make everyone happy. We wanted to do some fun things, like a food street or a beauty pageant. The scope would be the entire alliance. We’ve already discussed this with Elise and the others, and they are very interested in the project, so we’re already making preparations.”

"Hey..." Kuroba became slightly interested. "Sounds good. It looks like fun. Interesting. I'll go check it out if I have time."

“You absolutely have to come,” Li smiled. “We’ve recreated a lot of modern elements for this project. You’ll definitely regret it if you don’t come.”

"Huh?" Kuroba took the bait immediately. "What did you recreate this time?"

"Hehe, well, we'll keep that a secret for now." Li kept everyone in suspense. "Anyway, you've come to the right place. You definitely won't be disappointed. These are things that took us a lot of time to recreate."

"Ugh, you guys were secretly doing all this behind my back!" Kuroba sulked. "What happened to being an important member? How come you're excluding me from such an important matter?"

"Because you're usually busy with school matters, we didn't invite you," Li said with a wry smile. "Secondly, it was also to give you a surprise."

"No need for surprises, I want to know now." Kuroba said without compromise.

“Uh… well…” Li suddenly had an idea and opened the treasure chest space, “Here, take these.”

Boom!

With a flash of silver light and a thud, a large stack of brand-new books landed between the two of them. These were books that had been accumulating here over time, none of which Kuroba had read. Based on experience, as long as he took out this stack of books and gave it to her, he could stall for a while. And as expected, Kuroba's attention immediately shifted to the new books.

"Are these new books?" Kuroba's eyes lit up.

“Yes,” Li said, “I came here today for two reasons: one, to see how the school is doing, and two, to bring you the new books.”

"Thank you for your hard work." Kuroba used gravity magic to make the books float. "Excuse me, I must take my leave now."

“It’s alright,” Li waved his hand. “I should be going now. I have to meet with some other people.”

"Okay, see you next time then."

Kuroba said goodbye to her and returned to school with the books. Rin watched her enter the school, only to be grabbed by the children again. She turned and left with a wry smile. After observing the school, she decided to do something she had been thinking about for some time, and it was about time to be honest with those two.

Chapter 2 The Way Home

A few days ago, Li had arranged to meet those two at the Fatal Cat Cafe. After checking out the school, it was almost time, so she came here. On the way, she observed the situation of other things. Because of the bumper harvest, most of the labor force was not in Akihabara. In addition, Li planned to expand other towns or streets, and the construction team led by Negi was also working hard in the labyrinth.

All Ryū can do now is plan a harvest celebration for them and make sure they have a good time, that's all. That being said, some crucial items haven't been acquired yet, and figuring out how to get them now is impractical. Ryū plans to go over there and buy them directly… but then he needs to figure out how to get the money…

While thinking about these things, she pushed open the door of the cat cafe. The doorbell rang, and the owner looked up, exchanging a glance and a smile with Li. Li had already made a reservation with the owner, so there wouldn't be any problem with her coming at this time. She found her reserved seat and then met a friend there who wasn't quite an acquaintance.

"Long time no see, Xia Que," Li greeted the other person.

"Eh...? Ah, long time no see, Ri." Natsuki, who was still playing with the kitten, only then noticed Ri's arrival.

"Are you playing with the cat?" Li sat across from her. "Cats are so cute, aren't they? I was so happy when I first found out that there are cats in this world."

"Yes." Xia Que nodded awkwardly. "They are very cute."

Then, the two stopped talking. Thinking about what happened in the labyrinth made the atmosphere incredibly awkward. Neither could find a topic to continue the conversation, and with the Demon King absent, the awkwardness persisted, making Li feel extremely uncomfortable. This had been going on for a while, but Li still couldn't get used to it and could only silently pray that Xuanze would arrive soon.

The two remained in an awkward silence, engrossed in the cat's meows, until the next doorbell rang—the savior had arrived.

"Hello, are you alone?"

"No, it was that guy over there who sent me."

"This way, please."

The waiter ushered Xuanze over, accompanied by a large group of cats. The cats meowed and rubbed against Xuanze's legs, making him seem quite popular with the cats, though he appeared rather impatient.

"Why did you choose a place like this?" Xuanze sat down impatiently next to Li, looking quite annoyed. "So annoying..."

"Isn't this great?" Li picked up a cat casually. "Look, isn't it cute?"

"What does cuteness have to do with us sitting here right now?" Xuanze said in a typical straight man's way. "Won't it be a hassle to clean up the cat hair we're covered in when we leave here?"

"Ha... well, I knew you probably wouldn't understand." Rin placed the cat on the table. "By the way, you actually know how to groom yourself now?"

"Haa... Ever since that, Serena has been nagging me about this every day, it's driving me crazy." Demon King Xuanze sighed wearily. "So, is that all the people today?"

Xuanze glanced around; among those present, the only people they knew were the three people sitting there. Normally, Ning should also be here, but this time not only was no one else there, not even Ning. Xuanze naturally voiced his suspicion.

“Yes,” Li nodded, taking the menu from the waiter, “There are only three of us today. Would you like something to drink?”

"Hot latte." "...Fresh milk, please..."

"That's settled then," Li said to the waiter. "Please give me a hot latte and two glasses of fresh milk."

The waiter nodded, wrote the bill down, bowed, and slowly backed away before turning to walk towards the counter. After watching the waiter walk to the counter, Li stroked the cat's head, looked at the other two, and began to think about how to start the conversation. Well, maybe she should start with some small talk…

“Speaking of which,” Li asked, “Xuanze, you kidnapped Xia Que last time, didn’t you?”

"Yes, I did make that," Xuanze admitted casually. "What's wrong?"